I'm going to a conference in Ottawa next month, and I'm planning to take a long weekend to see Toronto too. Any advice on things to see or places to stay or eat? So far my plan consists of seeing the Hockey Hall of Fame (of course), maybe the CN Tower, and Niagara Falls. I've never been to either city, so I don't know what else to check out.

Official Sponsor of Ray Barile[Dooger] 9:10 am: That David [Backes] is a cool dude.RIP Pavol Demitra - I hope you are "so hoppy" wherever you are now

I went to Ottawa about 10 years ago for a couple of days. I did not spend much time there but did end up seeing the Parliament Hill area. If you are there at the right time, one can skate down the Rideau Canal. I was there in the middle of December and it was not frozen so that was not an option for me to see/do.

In Toronto, there are some interesting shops & people on Queen St. West. The area of it near Yonge St. & Eaton Centre is a bit boring (around Spadina is better), but it's essentially like Delmar, only longer. When you're at the HHOF, make sure you check out the inside of the building above - BCE place should look a little familiar, as it's in just about every movie that's been filmed in Toronto. I've never really spent time in Chinatown, but that's cool, and you might check out the Canadian Exhibition - they have a bunch of festivals in late July & August.

The Harbourfront is okay for a first time visit, and the Toronto Beaches are an easy bus trip from Queen St. If you don't have a laptop with you, the Bloor-Yonge Toronto Library location has free & easy internet access on their own computers - you might just have to wait, depending on the time of day you go. Oh, and if you like sweets, Monsieur Felix & Mr. Norton's cookies (with locations in Eaton Centre & on Bloor/Yonge) are to die for. If you like museums, the ROM and OSC are decent, as well. If you're a fan of Mike Myers, you can also head to Scarborough Town Centre (easy subway/LRT stop), and the last time I was there, they had an autographed photo of him at that Roots location, since that suburb is where he grew up. Chances are, you don't care enough to do that, but it at least used to be a decent mall with a good movie theatre. Yes, I can be such a girl.

I only spent a short period of time in Ottawa (and one day was killed by the rain), but the changing of the guard is worth checking out at Parliament Hill. They also advertise a Sound & Light Show, but if it's just the normal one, it is SO not worth the walk. If they have a military band there, it really IS. Again, they have a lot of small festivals during the summer (I think I encountered 3 in 3 days in '07), so check out their tourism website. I just barely missed seeing some great bands at their SuperEx. Oh, and look for shops selling Beaver Tail. It sounds dirty, but it's a lot like elephant ears that you'd get at a fair.

Thanks for all the tips! It looks like the changing of the guard in Ottawa ends a few days before I get there. And the main festival at that time is a gay pride festival. My conference is right on the canal though, so I can at least check out downtown and see some museums and stuff.

Official Sponsor of Ray Barile[Dooger] 9:10 am: That David [Backes] is a cool dude.RIP Pavol Demitra - I hope you are "so hoppy" wherever you are now

I'm in Aww-tah-waa now and it's pretty cool so far. Most of my time has been spent inside a hotel at my conference, but I did walk over to Parliament Hill one night and I've eaten over in Byward Market a lot (and at Tim Horton's on Monday). I'll be done with conference stuff tomorrow afternoon and then it's fun tourist time. Can't wait for the HHOF!

Official Sponsor of Ray Barile[Dooger] 9:10 am: That David [Backes] is a cool dude.RIP Pavol Demitra - I hope you are "so hoppy" wherever you are now